Rural Development Administration Selects Four Finalists for AI Competition... Remote Pilot Strawberry Cultivation Begins Next Month

Outstanding Teams Selected at the '2026 Smart Agriculture AI Competition'

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Institute of Agricultural Technology Advancement have selected four outstanding teams to lead smart agriculture through an artificial intelligence (AI) competition. These teams plan to begin full-scale remote pilot cultivation targeting key strawberry varieties from mid-September.

The Rural Development Administration announced on the 3rd that it had selected the final four teams to advance to the finals of the '2026 Smart Agriculture AI Competition.' The competition saw a total of 447 people across 87 teams, reflecting a highly competitive selection rate of approximately 21.8 to 1.

Teams participating in the "2026 Smart Agriculture AI Competition" are taking a commemorative photo. Photo by Rural Development Administration

A representative from the Rural Development Administration explained, "For this preliminary evaluation, we comprehensively assessed the completion of the AI models proposed by the participating teams, their operation strategies for the finals, applicability in agricultural settings, and commercialization capabilities." The representative added, "As a result, the top four teams—SNUxIsak AI, Gimhae Strawberry Masissdat, FarmFarmFarm, and Berry Decision, totaling 33 participants—have earned the opportunity to compete in the final round."

Each of the finalist teams demonstrated distinct AI core competencies and on-site application strategies. First, SNUxIsak AI is a team combining research faculty specializing in strawberry cultivation and plant physiology from a university of agriculture, and a company with industrial AI and equipment control technologies. Their model enables AI to analyze environmental and growth data in real time, implementing a 'super-early cultivation' model that advances the timing of the first harvest while stably maintaining subsequent flower clusters.

Gimhae Strawberry Masissdat comprises AI, software, and hardware development companies directly collaborating with farmers, showcasing the ability to conduct everything from model development to field validation in a seamless process. The team plans to link the AI model developed during the preliminaries to actual greenhouse control systems and verify an emergency response system that automatically switches to safe mode in the event of sensor or equipment malfunctions.

FarmFarmFarm is a team formed by smart farm design and construction companies in partnership with a university. They proposed two decision-making algorithms: a 'stability-focused' model prioritizing crop stability and a 'challenge-focused' model aimed at maximizing farm profit. They plan to demonstrate the effectiveness of a customized AI model that enables farmers to select the optimal cultivation strategy based on their business objectives.

Berry Decision is distinguished by translating veteran farmers' practical cultivation know-how into concrete AI goal-setting and decision-making rules. Their AI model meticulously manages irrigation, nutrient solution supply, and environmental controls according to the growth stage and cultivation objectives of strawberries, and the team plans to showcase these capabilities.

The finalist teams will attend the final round orientation at the Advanced Greenhouse of the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science under the Rural Development Administration in mid-August. There, they will be briefed on greenhouse operation methods, pilot cultivation schedules, equipment integration, and instructions for farm work processes. Afterward, the teams will proceed with pre-checks and integration between their models and the greenhouse equipment, launching full-scale remote pilot cultivation with the main strawberry variety, Seolhyang, from mid-September.

Lee Seokhyeong, head of the Rural Development Administration, stated, "Through this round of presentations, we have discovered excellent teams with not only strong AI technology but also practical, effective strategies that can be immediately implemented in agricultural settings." He added, "We will thoroughly support the finals' pilot cultivation to help farmers make informed decisions and to create innovative smart agriculture AI models that can greatly enhance farming productivity and efficiency."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.